The AC/DC Song That Shoud’ve Hit Number 1

While AC/DC is undoubtedly one of the biggest hard rock acts to have ever existed – not to mention how amazing it is for them to be active today – it took them a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to where they are now. Being an overseas group trying to find success in America was a tall order for the Aussie band, especially when their own label didn’t really see that much potential in them.

But none prepared the band for what was happened in 1980 when they lost frontman Bon Scott after drinking himself to death. Despite this loss, however, AC/DC soldiered on to find a new vocalist, with Scott’s family giving their blessing in the process. Hence, they found Brian Johnson, an acquaintance of Scott’s whom the late frontman also admired when he watched him perform with his own band, Geordie.

The band wanted to get back on its feet after the tragic loss that hit them, and surely they did with the album Back In Black, which was also a tribute to their fallen frontman. Brian Johnson was officially AC/DC’s frontman with “You Shook Me All Night Long”, on which he had co-writing credits alongside the Young brothers.

Johnson’s lyrics really fit the band’s mischievous reputation first established by Scott’s writing, which was a good measure of how the new vocalist fit the bill really well. On top of this, the rocking machinery that was AC/DC’s instrumental department really put the juice in the song where it hit. “You Shook Me All Night Long” is pure rock and roll fun condensed into three minutes of head-banging, foot-stomping goodness.

It was hard for those who loved AC/DC in the Bon Scott era to get to accept Brian Johnson taking over his post, but “You Shook Me All Night Long” exemplified how the frontman wasn’t merely a replacement. He may have filled the void Scott left, but he was definitely his own person. He didn’t try to imitate Scott but instead brought his own flavor to the band, thus earning him the acclaim of being one of the most effective rock vocalists in history, a feat difficult to achieve after following the footsteps of someone as great as Scott was.

“You Shook Me All Night Long” only took AC/DC to number 35 at the Billboard Hot 100, but we all know that it bagged the top spot as soon as Angus hit the first power chord.